Philippines’ Converge to spend US$1.8 billion for broadband rollout

Ethernet cables used for internet connections in an office, August 2014. (Reuters pic)

MANILA: Philippine broadband services provider Converge ICT Solutions Inc said on Wednesday it would invest US$1.8 billion over the next five years for a nationwide rollout of fast and cheap fibre internet, partnering with South Korea’s KT Corp and US firm TE Connectivity Ltd.

Converge plans to reach out to more than 13 million of the country’s 22 million households, particularly in the major islands in central and southern Philippines.

KT Corp and TE Connectivity will be involved in providing equipment and building infrastructure, Converge President Dennis Uy told reporters.

“We bring them here in the Philippines to assist us to roll out and to construct faster,” he said.

The sector is still underdeveloped in the Philippines, where fixed-line services are notoriously expensive and slower than other countries in the region. Many Filipinos access internet via data services provided by a telecoms duopoly.